Help me find my budget dream boat!

[john gov]

Sasha,
Cheap boats in Malta may be one of those "Legends". I''ve also heard that Florida is full of beautifully rigged 40 footers for sale by the widow of a retired guy who didn''t get to enjoy the boat very much. I''ve not been able to find any of those bargains.

[caswell]

I''ve thought of looking for a boat in the US or Canada. For example, many Contessa 26s were built in Canada and prices there seem to be 60% of what they are here.

However, a single-handed west-east trans-atlantic crossing in an unfamiliar used boat is probably not the most sensible first passage. On top of that, the cost of flights, accommodation, etc. would easily eat into any savings. And then there''s the VAT tax (all boats in the EU have to have proof of VAT paid in an EU country or else they''re charged the VAT).

I''ve spent hours on the Internet looking at and for boats, but I haven''t managed to identify a particular place for cheap bargins (I can''t find many details about Malta). Since I plan to spend a year sailing in my home waters before setting out I''m probably better off buying in Ireland or the UK (or maybe elsewhere in Europe), even this costs a few grand more.

However I have hopes of getting a good deal closer to home. There are many harbours, boatyards, sailing clubs and other places with boats that seem to have been abandoned. Once I know what I''m looking for I''ll do a tour of these. Who knows? Someone with an old boat that''s been sitting on the hard for years rotting may be sympathetic enough to my enthusiasm to give me a good deal!

You never know!

[Tom3]

You said:

I''ve discounted a Folkboat because of the wood (weaker than GRP and needs more attention).

The assumption that wood is weaker than GRP is not a safe one where boats are concerned. Some wood construction is much stronger than some GRP, some is much weaker, the key is the construction. Wood is more maintainance and if you don''t know anything about wood it can be duanting. On the other hand fiberglass can be even more difficult to maintain and at your budget you are likely to be buying some maintainance work.

I suggest looking at some traditional designs as they may fill all of your criteria better than a production boat and may be a better buy as well. There are a lot of good sailing designs that came out of fishing and cargo delivery before the end of working sail that fit your description.

Also read what Jeff_H says closely his advice is very good though biased towards the modern.

Good luck